AZ T-Rex Baseball Club has stood out for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their 3-0 record and spot in the playoffs. T-Rex is run by former MLB standout Luis Gonzalez and his brother and features mostly 2017 players from the Phoenix area, including Gonzalez' son infielder Jacob Gonzalez (2017, Scottsdale, Ariz.). Another aspect of the team is the size of the athletes on team; Gonzalez is every bit of 6-foot-3, 180-pounds with lots of room to grow and he was playing second base in that lineup.



Gonzalez is a player that baseball fans are going to hear about consistently going into the future, as he has a strong righthanded swing with lots of present bat speed and projection. It was also instructive watching him play second base, as it's obvious that he already has the internal baseball clock that only comes with instincts and deep exposure to the game.



Second baseman and outfielder Zach Baptist (2017, Phoenix, Ariz.) played exceptionally well for T-Rex on Saturday, going 4-for-4 one game and making an outstanding running catch in left field in the other game. 6-foot-4, 190 pound shortstop Boyd Vander Kooi (2017, Mesa, Ariz.) showed a loose and fast righthanded swing and lots of athleticism, and third baseman Scott Mehan (2017, Scottsdale, Ariz.) also showed notable bat speed and hitting ability. Righthander Joseph Montenegro (2017, Farmers Branch, Texas) pounded the strike zone with a heavy 83-86 mph fastball while tossing a complete game for T-Rex.



So Cal NTT righthander Justin Willis (2017, West New York, N.J.) made his second trip out to the western time zone in five weeks and made it very worthwhile, throwing a complete game 3-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 2-1 comeback win over the CBA Bulldogs. Willis also participated in the PG Underclass All-American Games at the University of San Diego immediately following the PG All-American Classic in mid-August. Willis has a middle infielder's 5-foot-11 build and is very athletic on the mound, with a couple of different delivery looks and a true four-pitch arsenal that is really tough to hit when he's throwing strikes. His fastball topped out at 87 mph Saturday but he got a lot of swings and misses on his big frisbee slider and plenty of called strikes with an outstanding 77 mph changeup.



Another righthander who competed at the PG Underclass All-American Games and who stood out Saturday was GBG Marucci Navy righthander Johnny Morell (2016, Temecula, Calif.). The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Morell needed only 31 pitches to throw three perfect innings in an 8-0 GBG run rule victory. Most of those 31 pitches were hard sinking 87 mph fastballs at the bottom of the strike zone. It was an impressive display of one dominant pitch that Morell just pounded the strike zone with.



Another young 2017 pitcher who was impressive was CBA Marucci 2017 righthander Charles Nies (Coto de Caza, Calif.). Nies topped out at 86 mph in throwing a complete game victory over a strong Colton Nighthawks White team while also showing a curveball with hard spin and a feel for his changeup. TrackMan has a radar set up on three of the Reds fields at the Goodyear complex and the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Nies was getting extension on his release over the seven-foot mark on many of his pitches, a mark that is above Major League average in that category. Watching Nies from the side it was evident that he could get even more use from his lower half in his delivery that could lead to immediate velocity improvements and even more extension to the plate.



Certainly one of the most exciting players to watch at this event, and probably most other events, is Phenom Texas shortstop Donovan Langston (2017, Frisco, Texas). Langston is generously listed at 5-foot-9, 160-pounds but is a wiry collection of fast-twitch muscles that give him lightning quickness and speed on the bases and in the field. He stole second base with ease standing up once on Saturday despite everyone on the field and in the stands knowing that he'd be running. Langston also has real righthanded bat speed at the plate and is one of the few players you'll see at this age who shows an obvious two-strike approach, with a less pronounced shift into contact and a shorter swing path to the ball. With Langston, of course, any time he makes contact and puts the ball on the ground the defense is going to have to make a good play to get him. Defensively, Langston has plenty of arm strength to stay at shortstop and was up to 83 mph off the mound on Friday.



Phenom Texas got a strong pitching performance from righthander Jerry Quemeda (2016, Upland, Calif.) on Saturday morning in a complete game performance. Quemeda topped out at 88 mph early in the game from a loose over-the-top arm slot and maintained his velocity well through the middle innings. He also threw a slider up to 77 mph that showed good depth at times.



It's rare to see a 2018 grad hitting in the three hole of a team composed primarily of 2016 players and it catches the eye, especially with 14-16 fields in play at some times. That was the case with the Playa Vista Orioles Saturday morning and their young right fielder Branden Boissiere (Riverside, Calif.). Boissiere has a very athletic 5-foot-11, 165-pound build for his age and just looks like a baseball player and athlete from the way takes his lefthanded stance in the box and runs the bases. He showed a strong swing with present bat speed and spanked one hard single to right field that really jumped off the bat well.



Perfect Game's Jeff Dahn wrote a story Friday about Gamers Baseball Alaska, believed to be the first team from that state ever to compete in a WWBA/BCS tournament. There were a couple of players worth noting on that team from a talent perspective as well. Lefthanded pitcher and first baseman Jordan Bonk (2016, Ketchikan, Alaska) passes the eye test as well as any prospect in the country with a very projectable and athletic 6-foot-5, 195-pound build. He has the nicest swing on the team, with a well leveraged lefthanded stroke that drove one mid-80s fastball Saturday hard into right field that was 88 mph off the bat. On the mound, Bonk has a smooth delivery and loose arm that produced a 78-81 mph live fastball and 70 mph curveball with some tightness and depth.



Bonk's catcher, Julito Fazzani (2016, Anchorage, Alaska) also passed the eye test at a solid 5-foot-10, 205-pounds. He threw out three runners attempting to steal in consecutive innings on Saturday with pop times of 2.08, 2.10 and 2.11 and almost back-picked another runner at second base later in the game. Fazzani's throwing fundamentals were outstanding and his arm strength plenty good enough to play at the next level.



One of the most exciting teams in the field this weekend was the San Diego Show, and with big physical 2017 righthander Kyle Hurt (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) on the mound, there were prospects all over the field for the Show. Hurt topped out at 88 mph and showed heavy sinking action on his fastball. He has shown the ability to locate it to both sides of the plate in the past, though he was less sharp on the glove side in this outing but his stuff was plenty good enough to dominate anyway. Hurt struck out eight and allowed just an unearned run over four innings on two hits.



2016 outfielder Mickey Moniak (Encinitas, Calif.) made hitting look easy in a 3-for-3 effort. He showed his usual quick hands and athleticism, but it was the approach that made this level of competition look unchallenging to him. Moniak stepped into the box with a plan and adjusted that plan as at-bats unfolded, and by only swinging at pitches he could square up he was able to put loose and easy low effort swings on the baseball getting the barrel to it on time. When watching Moniak in game situations it's easy to forget that he has power hiding beneath the surface because he rarely sells out to reach it and typically only taps into it when at-bats unfold in a way that present him an opportunity to do so. He also stole three bases and scored a pair of runs in the Show's rout of the SCBC Huskies.



Another standout in the Show's offensive outburst was 2017 shortstop Zach Sehgal (La Jolla, Calif.) who went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a loud flyout. Sehgal has highly projectable tools, and while he lacks the level of polish of the top ranked prospects in the 2017 class, with development he has a chance to move into that group. He has shown steady improvement with the bat this summer and his defensive ability in the infield has been his greatest asset since he showed up on the national scene last summer.









With all of the offensive fireworks going on, it would be easy for the shot that 2017 catcher Hunter Isbell (San Diego, Calif.) crushed to be lost in the shuffle. But the triple to the wall would have been noteworthy had it come against a pitching machine because of how well he accelerates his hands through contact, allowing him to generate surprising power for his size. It wasn't a fluke either, as he has shown that same punch in previous viewings as well and as he matures physically as well as in his approach at the plate he has a chance to take a step forward and become a consistently dangerous hitter.



The top fastball velocity of the day belonged to 2016 righthander Jack Little (Las Vegas, Nev.). Little has a big frame that projects to get even bigger, with long limbs and broad shoulders, he gets plus extension to the plate and creates deep sinking action in the upper-80s, topping out at 90 mph. He has a deliberate pace to his delivery with a pronounced pause at the top of his leg kick prior to firing into his long online stride. He has very good athleticism to his delivery, keeping his gears under control through the long stride and managing to get out front with good extension and staying on top of the baseball to create plane in spite of the stride length. His arm is loose and works very well. He doesn't yet have feel for his secondary offerings but he mixed them effectively and both his deep curveball (70-73 mph) and changeup (72-75 mph) show promise.









The only hit little allowed was on an impressive swing by 2017 outfielder Kenji Henderson (LaVerne, Calif.) who lined a single into center field that left the bat at 94 mph. Henderson is a strong and young lefthanded hitting outfielder whose hand-eye coordination stands out already, and he has good strength for his age, and with development has a chance to develop into a power hitter.



The Nick Allen show is typically the highlight of games played by CBA Marucci 2017, and that continued to be the case as he entertained with his premium agility and coordination at shortstop and burned the center fielder with a cleanly struck blast for a double. But his double play partner 2017 middle infielder Tyler Freeman (Rancho Cuccamonga, Calif.) looked like he belonged in the same middle infield and it was fitting that the two combined on what looked to be an easy 6-4-3 double play to end the game, that was actually a difficult play. Allen ranged to his right, set his feet, scooped the ball up softly and gave an immediate feed in a perfect spot to Freeman, who made a quick strong throw to first to seal the victory over the Prospects National Team.



The standout up the middle defensive ability of CBA continued past the infield as 2017 outfielder Ezele Wickes (Whittier, Calif.) showed off surprising arm strength in center field which paired well with his advanced routes and reads. The tall lanky young center fielder didn't get an opportunity to show off the depth of his range in center field, but given how easily he got to balls that were hit to areas medium distance away from his setup it appears likely that if he doesn't already have plus range that he can develop it as he gets stronger and improves his initial burst. He also shows quick hands at the plate and projects well all around.



In this 80 team tournament with players from around the country, there has not been a better prospect than 2016 shortstop Nick Quintana (Las Vegas, Nev.). He was highlighted prominently in the Day 1 recap and his dominant play on both sides of the ball continued into Day 2 as well. He has power, arm strength and advanced actions at shortstop. He made play after play look easy at shortstop ranging in every direction and his bat has been a major impact in SACSN's 3-0 pool play run as they look to defend their title. The USC commit is currently ranked in the top 20 players in the nation in Perfect Game's Class of 2016 rankings, and he's proving he is well deserving of that lofty spot.









Big bodied 2017 lefthander Jorge Arellano (Cudahy, Calif.) ran his fastball up to 87 mph in relief for the SoCal Bombers 2017 as they mounted a comeback attempt against Southern Nevada Baseball and struck out five in three innings.



2018 catcher and righthanded pitcher Dante DeNiro (Tucson, Ariz.) showed very good hand-eye coordination at the plate that gives him a chance to continue to consistently hit as he moves up the ladder. We didn't get a chance to see him catch as he took the mound (and was up to 79 mph) in the night cap for the Tucson Champs, but have heard positive reviews there as well.



2016 infielder Brayden Petroshus (Littleton, Colo.) showed impressive reflexes while manning the hot corner and made a quick reaction diving stop to his left. He has a projectable frame at 6-foot and 160-pounds and has the makings of quality bat speed.